


Battles Eve

by Freedoms_Champion



Series: Burglar Lessons [8]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Battle of Five Armies - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Fili and Kili are good teachers, M/M, Protective Thorin, preparing for war, since they are united before it starts, supportive Bilbo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:01:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26471554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freedoms_Champion/pseuds/Freedoms_Champion
Summary: On the eve of battle, Thorin knows there isn't much time. He's done everything he can to protect the people under his protection, but he still worries it won't be enough.Lucky him, he still has the support of his Burglar.
Relationships: Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield
Series: Burglar Lessons [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1924351
Comments: 19
Kudos: 129





	Battles Eve

The elves still refused to enter Erebor even after Thorin had fortified the Front Gate, so he gave them over as a bad job and turned his attention to training the Lake-Men in the time they had left.

The ravens and the elven scouts agreed: an army of Orcs was coming. Thorin had twelve dwarves and a hobbit to his command and the shaky alliance of Men who weren’t warriors and Elves who could hardly bring themselves to be civil. Despite Bilbo’s attempts to encourage him, Thorin couldn’t remember feeling less hopeful.

At least Dain was coming. The ravens had carried his reply and the news that his army was marching as swiftly as they could, but they would barely arrive before the enemy, if they didn’t arrive together.

There was still no sign of Gandalf.

“I’ve never seen them like this,” Bard said as Thorin entered the makeshift training ground. Men filled the space, along with a fair number of women, clearly determined to stand with their husbands and defend their families. Dwalin shouted orders at the top of his lungs and the two lines moved through thrusts, parries, and strikes with tolerable confidence. Fili roamed up and down the lines, offering corrections.

Kili coached another group of mostly women and older children in a space set aside for archery. The dwarf bows that were still whole had been refurbished quickly, but Thorin could see that they were largely too heavy for the students to pull. He couldn’t do much about it and even badly aimed arrows could still be deadly, if care was taken to keep the archers from firing into their own side.

Elven bows would have been worse, not that Thranduil had offered any. It was enough that he had armed the Lake-Men with swords and spears.

“There was no reason for your people to know war,” Thorin said, recalling that Bard had spoken to him.

“Not that. I’ve never seen them so united. In better days, my neighbors were disinclined to act in one mind if there was a chance to voice their thoughts instead. Now look at them.”

Thorin nodded. “Yes, they have come together. I wish you luck in keeping them together when this is over.”

Bard laughed quietly. Thorin followed his gaze to where Bain stood, holding a wooden staff and following Dwalin’s calls. The boy’s face was set in concentration, fierce and cold.

“We will survive this,” he promised. He had seen enough death and too many families torn by war. As long as there was still life in him, Thorin would defend the people who had placed their trust in him.

He left Bard and went back to the gate, where Bilbo was watching.

The hobbit was surrounded by tall figures. Thorin recognized Thranduil, his crown of leaves replaced by a practical circlet of silver. Beside him stood an elf so like him as to be unmistakably his son. Legolas, Thranduil had said his name was. His clothes were stained with travel and dark Orcs blood. On the other side of Legolas was a redhaired elf-maid. Kili had called her Tauriel and Thorin owed her a debt he could not pay. She had healed Kili of his deadly wound.

The last figure was clad in grey and reclined on the stones of the gate, smoking from a pipe. Gandalf, looking more tired and worn than Thorin had ever seen him.

“Thorin, there’s news,” Bilbo said, the first to notice his footsteps. From the look on his face, Thorin supposed the news was bad and wondered how many more blows he could take.

“There is not one army of Orcs coming, but two,” Gandalf said, blowing a plume of smoke instead of his customary rings. “Legolas has seen Gundabad opened. I myself watched the host of Dol Guldur march to take the Mountain. Bilbo tells me Dain is coming, that’s good. You will still be pressed hard here, Thorin.”

“It is more than I feared, but that matters not. What do you counsel, Gandalf?” Thorin asked. He thought he saw the wizard blink in surprise, but it was hard to tell. He supposed his change of heart would be something to surprise Gandalf, if nothing else.

“You are already following my counsel, Thorin. The Men and Elves are your allies, the Mountain is strong, and help is coming. This battle must be decisive. If these forces are allowed to flee with the greater part of their strength, it will go badly for these Northern lands.”

“I am not likely to allow the vermin to flee, Mithrandir,” Thranduil said, a touch of annoyance coloring his voice.

Gandalf puffed his pipe and gave no sign he had heard. Thorin concealed a smile.

“Please, King Thranduil, come with me to take this news to Bard,” he said. “He will need to be part of our councils to destroy the armies coming to face us.”

“Of course,” Thranduil said, bestowing a cold look on Gandalf before beckoning to his son and striding down the hall.

Bilbo took Thorin’s hand as he went after the elves.

“Nothing like this was in my contract,” he said lightly, wiggling his nose.

“I didn’t foresee this,” Thorin answered honestly. “But would you have signed it if it made mention of armies and siege?”

“Of course not. I don’t know what possessed me to sign it as it stands. I will say, I got more than you promised me.”

“You deserve more than I promised you. When we set out from the Shire, I had no notion of who you were. I am lucky beyond measure that you have accepted me.”

“The Shire,” Bilbo said softly, as if he had forgotten. “Thorin, I will have to go back and settle my affairs. I cannot let my heir take Bag End. My father built it for my mother, you know, when they were married. There must be someone in my family better worth it than Lotho Sackville-Baggins! I may be delayed finding someone.”

“The ravens will carry me news of you,” Thorin assured him, but his mind had begun spinning with plans.

Once Azog and all his spawn were defeated for good, he would need Balin’s help. Thorin needed to know a great deal more about Hobbit architecture if building a house was how they offered courtship.

Bilbo would have the most magnificent home any Hobbit had ever seen. Thorin owed him that and much more. He would live through this battle and ensure it.

**Author's Note:**

> Whew! I wrote all 8 of these in less than a week.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Comments are welcome and have a wonderful day!


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